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Toss it in the Bag

To forget oneself is to not lose oneself, but to truly become oneself. In letting go, you attain without gaining, you arrive without leaving.

So who are you? We aren't who we think we are. Imagine this: There's a giant clear plastic bag. In this bag place all the things that you think you might be. First goes your physical body, then your name, your color, race and religion. The place where you live, your country of allegiance, your sexual orientation and all your clothes. Your beliefs, opinions and your judgments and so on until everything is included. Everything you think you are is contained in this bag. Your mind is even there because it's a very crucial part of who you think you are, throw it in the bag.

Now, let's look at the bag. Visualize it. If there's anything else that you think you are, put it in the bag. Now observe it....

So who is that observing the bag? Who is that observing the totality of what you call your life? That nameless, placeless, timeless observer? It's the one and only real you. You are not the content of your life, you are the observer of it. You contain all that's in the bag, but it's not you. It's merely within you. You are the context of life. The understanding of this truth, is merely an object itself and can be placed in the bag. To experience this truth, that is beyond the bag. To experience that, is to be fully, completely and beautifully alive.

Now, take everything out of the bag, put it back on, your clothes, your beliefs, your race and religion, and call it the totality of life too.

Stop thinking "inside" or "outside" the bag so much.

Reminds me a little of the story of the fellow who starts peeling the onion, looking for the real onion. He peels and he peels, discarding layer after layer, thinking he will then find the real source of the scent of the onion. Soon, he has unraveled all the onion, and there is nothing left, just him wintnessing empty space where the onion once was.

He missed that the stink of the onion was there all along, in his nose and every single layer.

Now, take everything out of the bag, put it back on, your clothes, your beliefs, your race and religion, and call it the totality of life too.

Stop thinking "inside" or "outside" the bag so much.

Reminds me a little of the story of the fellow who starts peeling the onion, looking for the real onion. He peels and he peels, discarding layer after layer, thinking he will then find the real source of the scent of the onion. Soon, he has unraveled all the onion, and there is nothing left, just him wintnessing empty space where the onion once was.

He missed that the stink of the onion was there all along, in his nose and every single layer.

Gassho, J

Thanks Jundo, that's a very appropriate story. Instead of digging through to find it, it is there all the time. And you're right, because outside and inside are truly one.

Now, what if the bag, the universe and me are just one entity? United. Whole. Complete.

You've got that right Kyonin, the separation we place between things is the illusion.